Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Amie Miriello

This is the debut both of Miriello and her label, and it is a fortuitous pairing. Miriello is a fresh new voice, though she also shows the confidence and flair of a more seasoned artist on this disc of songs that she co-wrote and which journey through pop, rock, folk, and alt-country.

The songs are rich melodically, given vitality and rhythmic energy by her tight backing band, and feature lyrics that are everything from clever to sad to wry.

She sometimes affects an almost conversational style of writing, as on "Brand New," when she talks of the guy who looks like "the kind of a person who would take me to a party on the wrong side of town." On the wonderful, folky "Drifter," she writes of a relationship in which "Tonight I feel you come back home like a drifter, finding shelter in these arms."

There are occasional echoes of other singers - can a hint of Joni Mitchell be heard in "Beauty of Goodbye," a folk-rock hybrid with a great chorus? - but Miriello has her own voice as performer and writer.

As if to prove it, she closes out the disc with a tougher, more bluesy sound on "Hey," showing yet one more side of a singer comfortable in many genres.

This is a strong debut. One of those discs that keeps getting better each time you hear it.